Sex and Screwball Comedy in The Good Wife

Back in September, I was approached by the fine folks over at In Media Res to write a short piece on CBS’s The Good Wife. “No problem,” said I. “It’s one of my favorite shows and arguably the best drama on network television.”

I presumed the four scholars with whom I’d be partnered would consider things like The Good Wife’s “quality” status (i.e., how does it compare with cable programs?), complex sexual politics, and/or primary characters (i.e., Alicia, Will, Peter, Kalinda). As a result, I opted for an aspect of the show that I believed no one would explore: the on-again/off-again relationship between Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and ballistics expert, Kurt McVeigh (Gary Cole).

Ever since McVeigh moseyed up to Lockhart’s desk in the episode “Bang” I was hooked. First, like Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker, I was happy to see a “middle-aged love affair” in prime time (I miss this from Boston Legal). Second, I find the liberal/conservative pairing simultaneously sexy and hilarious — and, as I ultimately write for In Media Res, a throwback to classical screwball comedies like It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, and Bringing Up Baby. All of that ideological conflict! Bickering! Foreplay! Such good stuff. So without further ado, here’s my contribution to In Media Res’s week on The Good Wife.

Sex and Screwball Comedy in The Good Wife

Please be sure to check out (and comment on) my colleagues’ excellent posts as well!